Electronic apparatus and information processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

There is provided an electronic apparatus that can solve the problem with the prior art that a removable electronic device is removed while the removable electronic device is in operation, leading to unfavorable results. A disk unit is removably attached to the main body of the electronic apparatus and receives at least one removable hard disk as a removable electronic device removably attached thereto. A locking mechanism locks together the disk unit and the main body. A CPU controls the locking mechanism to inhibit the disk unit and the main body from being locked together while the removable hard disk is in operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus and aninformation processing apparatus which enable a user to easily andsafely remove a removable electronic device, such as a modular removablehard disk, from the apparatus or replace such a device with anotherdevice.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, with the advent of the Internet and e mails transmittedand received via the Internet, personal computers have become widelydiffused at a rapidly increasing rate as a means for accessing theInternet and for transmitting and receiving e mails, as well as a meansfor sharing information and improving productivity in offices. On theother hand, manufacturers of personal computers have had to manufacturemany different models in order to accommodate the diversifying userneeds. Furthermore, electronic devices, such as hard disks and CD-ROMdrives that are used in personal computers, are upgraded constantly andcan quickly become outdated. For these reasons, removable hard disks,which can be removed from personal computers, have been proposed.Furthermore, modular electronic devices have been proposed for use inpersonal computers, so that the users would be able to easily replacesuch modular electronic devices.

Such a prior art technology, however, faces a problem. That is, with amodular electronic device such as a hard disk, which is designed toallow a user to easily remove the electronic device from a personalcomputer and replace it with another electronic device, the user, forexample, may inadvertently remove the hard disk from the personalcomputer while the hard disk is in operation, which may lead tounfavorable results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronicapparatus and an information processing apparatus that can solve theproblem with the prior art that a removable electronic device is removedwhile the removable electronic device is in operation, leading tounfavorable results.

To attain the above object, in a first aspect of the present invention,there is provided an electronic apparatus which comprises a main body, areceiving unit that is removably attached to the main body and receivesat least one removable electronic device removably attached thereto, alocking device that locks together the receiving unit and the main body,and a controller that controls the locking device to inhibit thereceiving unit and the main body from being locked together while theremovable electronic device is in operation.

According to this construction, the controller of the electronicapparatus controls the locking device to inhibit the receiving unit andthe main body from being locked together while the removable electronicdevice is in operation. As a result, it is possible to solve the problemwith the prior art that a removable electronic device is removed whilethe removable electronic device is in operation, which leads tounfavorable results. Further, the electronic apparatus according to thefirst aspect is simple in construction and flexible in function.

Preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises an electronic deviceremoving device that removes the removable electronic device from thereceiving unit, and the controller controls the electronic deviceremoving device to inhibit the removable electronic device from beingremoved from the receiving unit while the removable electronic device isin operation. As a result, the above described effect can be surely andmore effectively provided.

Preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises a connector unit providedin the main body, the receiving unit is removably attached to theconnector unit, the locking device locks together the receiving unit andthe connector unit, and the controller controls the locking device toinhibit the receiving unit from being removed from the connector unittogether while the removable electronic device is in operation. As aresult, the receiving unit cannot be inadvertently removed from theconnector unit.

More preferably, the receiving unit has formed therein at least onerecess at such a location that the recess is hidden inside the main bodywhen the receiving unit is attached to the connector unit, and isexposed externally when the receiving unit is removed from the connectorunit. As a result, the user can easily carry the receiving unit by handwhen the disk unit 5 is removed from the connector unit, thusfacilitating handling of the receiving unit.

More preferably, the locking device comprises a locking mechanism thatlocks together the connector unit and the receiving unit when thereceiving unit is attached to the connector unit, the locking mechanismbeing responsive to a lock release command from the controller, forreleasing locking of the connector unit and the receiving unit. As aresult, the receiving unit can be prevented from being inadvertentlyremoved from the connector unit in the same manner as described above.

More preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises a unit removingdevice that is responsive to a removal command from the controller, forremoving the receiving unit from the connector unit, when the receivingunit is attached to the connector unit. As a result, the receiving unitcan be prevented from being inadvertently removed from the connectorunit in the same manner as described above.

Still more preferably, the controller controls the unit removing deviceto inhibit the receiving unit from being removed from the receiving unitwhile the removable electronic device is operation. As a result, thereceiving unit can be prevented from being inadvertently removed fromthe connector unit in the same manner as described above.

Still more preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises a singledriver that drives the locking device and the unit removing device, thatis, a single driver is shared by the locking device and the unitremoving device. As a result, the locking device and the ejection devicecan be realized without increasing the number of component parts.

More preferably, the removable electronic device is configured such thatthe removable electronic device can be removed from the receiving unitwhen the receiving unit is removed from the connector unit. As a result,the removable hard disk can be safely exchanged.

More preferably, the removable electronic device comprises a pluralityof removable electronic devices of the same type or of different types.As a result, the electronic apparatus according to the first aspect isflexible in function.

Still more preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises a plurality ofelectronic device removing devices that are provided in association withrespective ones of the plurality of removable electronic devices, forremoving the respective removable electronic devices from the receivingunit, and the controller controls any of the removable electronic deviceremoving devices to enable a corresponding one of the removableelectronic devices that is not in operation to be removed from thereceiving unit. As a result, the removable electronic devices can besafely exchanged.

Still more preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises a displaydevice that displays an indication as to which of the plurality ofremovable electronic devices attached to the receiving unit has failedin a case where any of the removable electronic devices fails, and thedisplay device continues displaying the indication even after thereceiving unit is removed from the connector unit. As a result, the usercan immediately determine which of the removable electronic device hasfailed.

Still more preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises a plurality ofelectronic device removing devices that are provided in association withrespective ones of the plurality of removable electronic devices, forremoving the respective removable electronic devices from the receivingunit, and the controller issues a removal command to any of theremovable electronic device removing device corresponding to any of theremovable electronic devices that has failed, for removing the failedremovable electronic device from the receiving unit. As a result, thereis no need to manually remove the failed removable hard electronicdevice, thus improving the usability.

Still more preferably, the electronic apparatus comprises a singledriver that drives the removable electronic device removing devices andthe display device, that is, a single driver is shared by the removableelectronic device removing devices and the display device. As a result,the failure indication for the failed removable electronic device can berealized without increasing the number of component parts.

More preferably, the removable electronic device is positioned such thatthe outer surfaces thereof lie inwardly of the outer surface of thereceiving unit on a side thereof at which the removable electronicdevices are attached to the receiving unit. As a result, the user cannotforcibly pull out the removable electronic device to impair the same.

To attain the above object, in a second aspect of the present invention,there is provided an information processing apparatus that comprises theelectronic apparatus according to the first aspect.

According to this construction, as is the case with the electronicapparatus according to the first aspect, it is possible to solve theproblem with the prior art that a removable electronic device is removedwhile the removable electronic device is in operation, which leads tounfavorable results. Further, the information processing apparatusaccording to the second aspect is simple in construction and flexible infunction.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the inventionwill become more apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a personal computer as aninformation processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention, as viewed from above to the left on a front sidethereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the personal computer of FIG. 1, asviewed from below to the left on the front side thereof;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the personal computer of FIG. 1from which a removable hard disk on the left hand side has been ejected;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the personal computer of FIG. 1from which a disk unit has been ejected, as viewed from above to theleft on the front side thereof;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the inside of the personal computerof FIG. 1, as viewed from below to the left on the front side thereof;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the disk unit in FIG. 1 that hasbeen inserted into a unit chassis, as viewed from above to the left onthe front side thereof;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the disk unit in FIG. 6, as viewedfrom below to the left on a back side thereof;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the disk unit in FIG. 6 from whichthe unit chassis has been removed, as viewed from above to the left onthe front side thereof;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the disk unit in FIG. 7 from whichthe unit chassis has been removed, as viewed from below to the left onthe back side thereof;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view showing the disk unit of FIG. 6 that isjoined to a connector unit;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view showing the disk unit of FIG. 10 that hasbeen ejected from the connector unit;

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the disk unit of FIG. 12 that hasbeen ejected from the connector unit, as viewed from above to the lefton the back side;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the disk unit of FIG. 12 that hasbeen ejected from the connector unit, as viewed from below to the righton the front side thereof;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the disk unit of FIG. 12 that hasbeen ejected from the connector unit, as viewed from above to the lefton a front side thereof;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the disk unit of FIG. 12 that hasbeen ejected from the connector unit, as viewed from below to the righton the back side;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view showing the connector unit in FIG. 11;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the connector unit in FIG. 18, asviewed from below to the left on the front side thereof;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the connector unit in FIG. 18, asviewed from below to the right on the back side thereof;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view showing the connector unit in FIG. 13;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the connector unit of FIG. 21, asviewed from below to the left on a front side thereof;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the connector unit of FIG. 21, asviewed from below to the right on a back side thereof;

FIG. 24 is a side view showing the inside of the disk unit of FIG. 6, asviewed from a right side thereof;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the inside of the disk unit ofFIG. 24, as viewed from below to the left on the back side thereof;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the inside of the disk unit ofFIG. 24, as viewed from above to the left on the front side thereof;

FIG. 27 is a side view of an ejection unit with the removable hard diskof FIG. 3 being attached, as viewed from a left side thereof;

FIG. 28 is a side view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 27 with theremovable hard disk being attached, as viewed from a right side thereof;

FIG. 29 is a bottom plan view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 27 withthe removable hard disk being attached;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing the ejection unit with theremovable hard disk of FIG. 27 being attached, as viewed from below tothe left on the front side thereof;

FIG. 31 is a side view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 30 with theremovable hard disk being ejected, as viewed from a left side thereof;

FIG. 32 is a side view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 30 with theremovable hard disk being ejected, as viewed from a right side thereof;

FIG. 33 is a bottom plan view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 30 withthe removable hard disk being ejected;

FIG. 34 is a cross sectional view taken along line G-G in FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 is a perspective view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 30 withthe removable hard disk being ejected, as viewed from below to the righton the back side thereof;

FIG. 36 is a side view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 27 with theremovable hard disk that has been manually removed, as viewed from aleft side thereof;

FIG. 37 is a side view showing the ejection unit of FIG. 27 when theremovable hard disk on the left hand side has failed, as viewed from aleft side thereof;

FIG. 38 is a side view of the disk unit of FIG. 27 when the removablehard disk on the left hand side has failed, as viewed from a left sidethereof;

FIG. 39 is a block diagram schematically showing the electricalconfiguration of the personal computer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 40 is a front view schematically showing a disk unit as anelectronic apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of the disk unit of FIG. 40, as viewedfrom above to the left on the front side thereof;

FIG. 42 is a front view showing the internal structure of the disk unitof FIG. 40;

FIG. 43 is a side view showing the inside of the disk unit of FIG. 42,as viewed from a left side thereof;

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of the inside of the disk unit of FIG. 43,as viewed from below to the left on the front side thereof; and

FIG. 45 is a perspective view of the inside of the disk unit of FIG. 43,as viewed from below to the right on the front side thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described in detail below withreference to the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodimentsthereof.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a personal computer 1, as aninformation processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention, as viewed from above to the left on a front sidethereof. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the personal computer 1 ofFIG. 1, as viewed from below to the left on the front side.

In FIG. 1, the personal computer 1 has a body thereof covered by acasing 2, and a disk unit 5 is attached to the personal computer 1 insuch a way that the disk unit 5 can be removed. The disk unit 5 can beattached to and removed from the personal computer 1 through a frontside thereof. Further, the disk unit 5 is comprised, for example, of tworemovable hard disks 3,3 of an identical model mounted in the body ofthe disk unit 5 in such a way that the removable hard disks 3,3 can beremoved. The two removable hard disks 3,3 can be attached to and removedfrom the disk unit 5 through a front side thereof.

Switches 6,6 for instructing ejection of the two removable hard disks3,3 are also provided on the front side of the disk unit 5. Alsoprovided on the front side of the personal computer 1 are a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) connector 7; a PC card slot 9, into which a PC card 8is inserted; an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)1394 connector 10; a S-video terminal 11; a video terminal 12; an audioterminal 14; a local area network (LAN) connector 15; a power supplyswitch 16, and so forth.

In FIG. 2, a large recess 17 is formed in a bottom wall of the personalcomputer 1. In the recess 17, there are provided, for example, four LANconnectors 18, a dual USB connector 13, and a power supply connector(not shown). Furthermore, a cutout part 19 for allowing cables, such asa power supply cable and a LAN cable, to pass through, is also providedto open into the recess 17. It should be noted that input devices, suchas a keyboard and a mouse for entering data and giving instructions, aswell as a display device are also connected to the personal computer 1,though not shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the personal computer 1 with theremovable hard disk 3 on the left hand side being ejected, out of thetwo removable hard disks 3,3, that are attached to the disk unit 5, asshown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The disk unit 5 includes a mechanism thatallows the removable hard disks 3 to be automatically ejected. Whileonly the removable hard disk 3 on the left hand side is ejected in FIG.3, the removable hard disk 3 on the right hand side can also be ejectedin a similar manner. The mechanism that enables ejection will bedescribed later in detail.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the personal computer 1 with thedisk unit 5, which is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, being ejected from thepersonal computer 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the personal computer 1 of thepresent embodiment enables the user to easily remove the disk unit 5without using a tool such as a driver, because of an ejection mechanismthat will be described later.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the inside of the personal computerof FIG. 1, as viewed from below to the left on the front side.

In FIG. 5, the disk unit 5 is inserted into a unit chassis 20. A powersupply 21 is disposed below the disk unit 5, and a power supplyconnector 22 is provided on the lower side of the power supply 21. Abattery 23 is also provided on the lower side of the power supply 21.The various types of connectors, shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, aresoldered to a motherboard 24 inside the personal computer 1. Varioustypes of expansion boards 25 are also connected to the motherboard 24.It should be noted that the unit chassis 20, the power supply 21, thebattery 23, the motherboard 24, and the like are fixed to, for example,a chassis, not shown in FIG. 5.

Next, the disk unit 5 and a connector unit 28 will be described next.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the disk unit 5 in FIG. 1, which isinserted into the unit chassis 20, as viewed from above to the left onthe front side thereof. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the disk unit 5in FIG. 6, as viewed from below to the left on a back side thereof. InFIGS. 6 and 7, each of the top and bottom side surfaces of the unitchassis 20 has formed therein, for example, four screw holes 26 forsecuring the unit chassis 20 to the main chassis of the personalcomputer 1. Furthermore, screws 27 are fitted in both the top sidesurface and the bottom side surface of the unit chassis 20, to securethe connector unit 28, which will be described later, to the unitchassis 20.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are perspective views of the disk unit 5, with theunit chassis 20 removed from the disk unit 5, as shown in FIG. 6 andFIG. 7. In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the disk unit 5 is connected to theconnector unit 28 on the main body of the personal computer 1. The leftand right side surfaces, as well as the back side surface of the diskunit 5, are covered by cover members 30, 31, while the front side iscovered by a front cover member 32. The cover member 30 has a recess 33formed therein, while the cover member 31 has a recess 34 formedtherein. With this configuration, the user can easily carry the diskunit 5 by hand when removed from the personal computer 1. Further, thecover member 31 has recesses 41 formed therein at, for example, fourlocations. Four screws 40 in the recesses 41 secure an ejection unit ofthe removable hard disk 3, which will be described later, to the covermember 31. Furthermore, the cover members 30, 31 for the disk unit 5also has formed therein ejection holes 35, 36, as well as failureindicator holes 37, 38. Functions provided by these holes will bedescribed later.

The connector unit 28 is covered by a cover member 43 and a base 44, anda connector 45 is exposed on the back side surface of the connector unit28. The connector 45 is electrically connected to the motherboard 24(see FIG. 5) with a connector cable, not shown. Screw holes 46 areformed in both the top side surface and the bottom side surface of thecover member 43 for the connector unit 28. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7,the connector unit 28 is secured to the unit chassis 25 by the screws 27fitted into the screw holes 46. Further, a square hole 47 is formed ineach of the top side surface and the bottom side surface of the covermember 43, in which is fitted a claw 48 which is formed integrally withthe base 44.

Thus, the personal computer 1 of the present embodiment is comprised ofthe connector unit 28, which is secured to the main body of the personalcomputer 1, and the disk unit 5, which can be removed from the main bodyof the personal computer 1. The connector unit 28 and the disk unit 5can be electrically connected to each other, and the disk unit 5 can beelectrically connected to the removable hard disk 3, which can beremoved. The personal computer 1 is configured such that the disk unit 5cannot be removed from the connector unit 28 while either of theremovable hard disks 3 is in operation, and either of the removable harddisks 3, while in operation, cannot be removed from the disk unit 5.

Next, a locking mechanism and an ejection mechanism for the disk unit 5will be described.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the disk unit 5 of FIG. 6 in a stateconnected to the connector unit 28, while FIG. 11 shows a crosssectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 10. Further, FIG. 12 throughFIG. 17 show the disk unit 5 of FIG. 10 ejected from the connector unit28 as shown in FIG. 4, as viewed from various directions. FIG. 12 is atop plan view showing the disk unit 5 of FIG. 10 ejected from connectorunit 28, while FIG. 13 shows a cross sectional view taken along line B-Bin FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the ejected disk unit 5 ofFIG. 12, as viewed from above to the left on the back side of theconnector unit 28. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the ejected diskunit 5 of FIG. 12, as viewed from below to the right on the front sidethereof. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the ejected disk unit 5 ofFIG. 12, as viewed from above to the left on the front side thereof.FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the ejected disk unit 5 of FIG. 12, asviewed from below to the right on the back side of the connector unit28.

First, the outlines of the locking mechanism and the ejection mechanismfor the disk unit 5 will be described. In FIGS. 10 and 11, an ejectionlever 51 for ejecting the disk unit 5 from the main body of the personalcomputer 1 is seen to be in a receded position as a non-ejectionposition within the connector unit 28. The ejection lever 51 isrotatably fitted on a fulcrum shaft 56, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20,referred to hereinafter. A locking claw 52 is seen to be hooked in asquare hole 68 formed in the cover member 31 of the disk unit 5 as shownin FIG. 14 to lock the disk unit 5 to the connector unit 28. The lockingclaw 52 is also rotatably fitted on the fulcrum shaft 56 together withthe ejection lever 51. Furthermore, a connector 50 on the connector unit28 is in a state being electrically connected to a connector 55 on thedisk unit 5.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the locking claw 52 rotates slightlyin a direction indicated by the arrow K about the fulcrum shaft 56, thelocking claw 52 disengages from the square hole 68 in the cover member31 so that the disk unit 5 is unlocked from the connector unit 28. Atthe same time, the ejection lever 51 rotates slightly about the fulcrumshaft in the direction indicated by the arrow K to springout of a squarehole 53 formed in the connector unit 28, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16and push the cover member 31 of the disk unit 5, to thereby cause thedisk unit 5 to be ejected from the main body of the personal computer 1,as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 17. Of course, the connector 50 and theconnector 55 become disconnected at the same time. As is clear from thedescription so far given, the major parts of the locking mechanism andthe ejection mechanism for the disk unit 5 are provided on the side ofthe connector unit 28. As a result, the disk unit 5 is prevented frombeing inadvertently pulled out.

Next, the locking mechanism and the ejection mechanism for the disk unit5 will be described in detail. In FIGS. 11 and 13, the fulcrum shaft,and a fulcrum shaft 57, and a fulcrum shaft 58 are calked to the covermember 43, and a switch 61 is secured to the cover member 43 by means ofa screw 62. A motor 59 is secured to a raised bent part 69 of the covermember 43 by screws 60. Further, a stopper 29 is formed integrally onthe cover member 43, and a torsional coil spring 63 has one end thereofsupported by the stopper 29.

FIG. 18 through FIG. 23 show the connector unit 28 with the cover member43 removed. FIG. 18 shows an enlarged view of the connector unit 28,which is shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing theconnector unit 28 of FIG. 18, as viewed from below to the left on thefront side thereof, while FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing theconnector unit 28 of FIG. 18, as viewed from below to the right on theback side thereof.

In FIGS. 18 to 20, the connector 55 and the connector 45 of theconnector unit 28 are soldered to a sub substrate 70, and the subsubstrate 70 is secured to the base 44 by screws 71. The motor 59 iselectrically connected to the base 44 by lead wires, not shown.Furthermore, a worm gear 64 is press fitted into the body of the motor59. The worm gear 64 meshes with one of gears that constitute atwo-stage gear 65 that is rotatably fitted on the fulcrum shaft 58. Theother gear of the two-stage gear 65 meshes with a gear 66, which isfitted on the fulcrum shaft 57. The gear 66 is formed integrally with acam 66 a, a cam 66 b and a cam 66 c. The switch 61 is electricallyconnected to the sub substrate 70 by lead wires, not shown. The switch61 has a push button 61 a which is urged by a projecting part of the cam66 c to be held ON.

The torsional coil spring 63 is disposed relative to the locking claw 52such that one end of the spring 63 is supported by a projection 52 a onthe locking claw 52, while the other end of the spring 63 is supportedby the stopper 29 provided on the cover member 43 (see FIG. 11). Withthis arrangement, the locking claw 52 receives a force in a directionindicated by an arrow C about the fulcrum shaft 56 and swings about theshaft 56 as the cam 66 b rotates to cause the ejection lever 51 to comeinto alternate contact with the projecting part and a non-projectingpart of the cam 66 b. When the disk unit 5 is inserted into theconnector unit 28, a slanted face part 52 b of the locking claw 52 ispushed by a marginal edge 68 a of the square hole 68 in the disk unit 5,which is shown in FIG. 14, so that the locking claw 52 swings in thedirection indicated by the arrow K. When the coupling of the disk unit 5with the connector unit 28 is completed, the tilted part 52 b goes intothe square hole 68, and the locking claw 52 rotates in a directionindicated by the arrow C to bring the disk unit 5 and the connector unit28 into a locked state.

The ejection lever 51 is mounted on the fulcrum shaft, and one end 51 aof the ejection lever 51 urges a rear end surface of the cover member 31of the disk unit 5 when the disk unit 5 is ejected, as mentioned earlier(see FIG. 13). The other end of the ejection lever 51 is in contact withthe cam 66 a and swings as the cam 66 a rotates to cause the other endof the ejection lever 51 to come into alternate contact with theprojecting part and non-projecting part of the cam 66 a. In the presentembodiment, the ejection lever 51 rotates in the direction indicated bythe arrow K and ejects the disk unit 5, when the projecting part of thecam 66 a is in contact with the other end of the ejection lever 51.

FIG. 21 through FIG. 23 are diagrams showing the internal constructionof the connector unit 28 in FIG. 13 in a state when the disk unit 5 isejected. FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the connector unit 28, shown inFIG. 13. FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the connector unit 28, asviewed from below to the left on a front side thereof. FIG. 23 is aperspective view showing the connector unit 28, as viewed from below tothe right on a rear side thereof.

In FIGS. 21 to 23, the gear 66 is in a position where it has rotated by180 degrees in a direction indicated by an arrow D from the positionshown in FIG. 18. In this state, the push button 61 a of the switch 61is not in contact with the projecting part of the cam 66 c and thus isprojected, and hence the switch 61 is OFF. Further, a base end of thelocking claw 52 is in contact with the projecting part of the cam 66 b,and hence the locking claw 52 is in an unlocked state where it hasrotated in the direction indicated by the arrow K. Further, the ejectionlever 51 is in contact with the projecting part of the cam 66 a and hasrotated in the direction indicated by the arrow K into a position forejecting the disk unit 5.

In an actual operation, when an ejection command for the disk unit 5 (torelease the lock) is issued, the motor 59 is rotated in such a directionthat the gear 66 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow D fromthe position shown in FIG. 18, whereby the switch 61 is first turnedoff, and the locking claw 52 rotates in the direction indicated by thearrow K from the position shown in FIG. 18 to bring the disk unit 5 intoan unlocked state. Then, the ejection lever 51 rotates in the directionindicated by the arrow K from the position shown in FIG. 18 to eject thedisk unit 5. After the ejection, the motor 59 continues to rotate tocause the locking claw 52 to rotate in the direction indicated by thearrow C into the initial position. Thereafter, the switch 61 is turnedon, and the motor 59 stops. The ejection operation for the disk unit 5is thus completed. At this time, the ejection lever 51 is in theposition corresponding to the disk unit 5 having been ejected. However,since the ejection lever 51 is in a position corresponding to thenon-projecting part of the cam 66 a, the ejection lever 51 is storedback into the connector unit 28 when the disk unit 5 is again connectedto the connector unit 28.

It should be noted that the ejection command to eject the disk unit 5 isissued by a CPU110 of the personal computer 1, after the CPU110determines that the two removable hard disks 3 in the disk unit 5 arenot being accessed. Therefore, even if the user tries to eject the diskunit 5 by manipulating the input device for the personal computer 1,such as the keyboard, the disk unit 5 is not ejected, when either one ofthe two removable hard disks 3 is being accessed.

Next, the outlines of the internal construction of the disk unit 5 ofFIG. 6, which accommodates 2.5-inch disks, and the ejection mechanismfor the removable hard disk 3 will be described. FIGS. 24 to 26 areviews showing the internal construction of the disk unit 5 of FIG. 6.FIG. 24 is a side view of the disk unit 5 of FIG. 6, as viewed from aright side thereof, while FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the disk unit5 of FIG. 24, as viewed from below and to the left on the back sidethereof. FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the disk unit 5 of FIG. 24, asviewed from above to the left on the front side.

In FIGS. 24 to 26, reference numerals 72 and 73 designate ejection unitsfor ejecting the two removable hard disks 3, respectively, from withinthe disk unit 5 and are almost symmetrical in shape. The ejection units72 and 73 are secured to the cover member 31 by the four screws 40 shownin FIG. 9 referred to before. Further, connectors 75, 76 are secured tothe ejection units 72 and 73, respectively, and the connectors 75, 76are soldered to a flexible printed circuit board 74. The connectors 75,76 are electrically connected to connectors 3 a of the removable harddisks 3. A connector 55 is also soldered to the flexible printed circuitboard 74, and the connector 55 is secured to the cover member 31 byscrews 77, as shown in FIG. 17, referred to before.

Reference numerals 78, 79 designate driver units for ejecting the tworemovable hard disks 3 and correspond to the ejection units 72, 73,respectively. A motor 80 and a switch 82, and a motor 81 and a switch 83are provided for the driver unit 78 and the driver unit 79,respectively, and are electrically connected to the flexible printedcircuit board 74 by lead wires, not shown. Further, the switch 6, shownin FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, for instructing the ejection of the removable harddisk 3 is also electrically connected to the flexible printed circuitboard 74 by lead wires, not shown.

Next, the ejection mechanism for the removable hard disks 3 will bedescribed in detail. As mentioned above, the ejection units 72 and 73are almost symmetrical in shape. Therefore, the construction andoperation will be described referring to the ejection unit 72 on theleft hand side in FIG. 26 as an example.

FIGS. 27 to 30 show the removable hard disk 3 that is attached to theejection unit 72 of FIG. 3. FIG. 27 is a side view of the ejection unit72 of FIG. 3 with the removable hard disk 3 attached thereto, as viewedfrom the left side thereof, while FIG. 28 is a side view of the ejectionunit 72 of FIG. 27 with the removable hard disk 3 attached thereto, asviewed from the right side thereof. FIG. 29 is a bottom plan view of theejection unit 72 of FIG. 27 with the removable hard disk 3 attachedthereto, while FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the ejection unit 72 ofFIG. 27 with the removable hard disk 3 attached thereto, as viewed frombelow to the left on the front side thereof.

In FIGS. 27 to 30, the driver unit 78 has a base 85 secured to a socket87 on which the removable hard disk 3 is mounted by screws 86. A switch89 is secured to the base 85 by a screw 90, and the motor 80 is securedto the base 85 by screws 91. The motor 80 is composed of a pulse motor.A fulcrum shaft 85 a and a fulcrum shaft 88 are also secured to the base85. A worm gear 92 is press fitted into the body of the motor 80, andthe worm gear 92 meshes with a gear 93, which is rotatably fitted on thefulcrum shaft 85 a.

The gear 93 is a two-stage gear. A gear of the two-stage gear 93 thatdoes not mesh with the worm gear 92 meshes with a gear 94 rotatablyfitted on the fulcrum shaft 88. Cams 94 a and 94 b are disposed on bothsides of the gear 94 and restrained from moving in a thrust direction byan E ring 98. It should be noted that in FIG. 29, the cam 94 b is in aposition in which a projecting part thereof urges a push button 89 a ofthe switch 89 to hold the switch 89 ON.

A lever 97 is disposed in a space at a lower part of the socket 87 andis movable along, for example, grooves 87 a, 87 b formed in a bottomsurface of the lower part of the socket 87. A fulcrum shaft 96 issecured to a projecting part of the lever 97. A roller 95 is rotatablyfitted on the fulcrum shaft 96. The roller 95 is restrained from movingin a thrust direction by an E ring 99. The roller 95 is disposed incontact with a cam surface of the cam 94 a, and the lever 97 is moved asthe cam 94 a rotates to cause the roller 95 to come into alternatecontact with a projecting part and a non-projecting part of the cam 94a. As shown in FIG. 28, the lever 97 has a raised bent part 97 a, intowhich is inserted one end of a spring 108. The other end of the spring108 is fitted on a shaft 87 c provided on the socket 87. With thisarrangement, the roller 95 is always in urging contact with the camsurface of the cam 94 a.

As shown in FIG. 28, a fulcrum shaft 100 is press fitted into the socket87, and an arm 101 is fitted on the fulcrum shaft 100. The E ring 199 isfitted on the fulcrum shaft 100 to keep the arm 101 from falling off. Aprojection 101 a is formed on one end of the arm 101 and is engaged in arecess 97 c formed in the lever 97. An ejection member 102 is moveablein a direction indicated by an arrow E along a groove formed in thesocket 87, not shown. A cam surface 101 b of the arm 101 is disposed incontact with a bent part 102 a of the ejection member 102. The ejectionmember 102 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow E as the arm101 rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow F.

Next, the ejection operation of the removable hard disk 3 will bedescribed.

FIGS. 31 to 35 show the ejection unit 72 with the removable hard disk 3ejected therefrom. FIG. 31 is a side view of the ejection unit 72 ofFIG. 30 with the removable hard disk 3 that has been ejected, as viewedfrom a left side thereof, while FIG. 32 is a side view of the ejectionunit 72 with the removable hard disk 3 that has been ejected, as viewedfrom a right side thereof. FIG. 33 is a bottom plan view of the ejectionunit 72 with the removable hard disk 3 that has been ejected, while FIG.34 is a cross sectional view taken along line G-G in FIG. 33. FIG. 35 isa perspective view of the ejection unit 72 with the removable hard disk3 that has been ejected, as viewed from below to the right on a backside thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 31 to 35, the gear 94 rotates by 180 degrees with arotation of the motor 80, and the cam 94 a urgingly displaces the roller95 and accordingly the lever 97 also is urged to be displaced.Consequently, the projection 101 a of the arm 101, which is engaged inthe recess 97 c of the lever 97, is also urged to be displaced, so thatthe arm 101 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow F to makethe ejection member 102 move in the direction indicated by the arrow E,whereby the bent part 102 a of the ejection member 102 makes an urgingaction on the removable hard disk 3 to eject the same. As shown in FIGS.33 and 34, the switch 89 is OFF at this time.

In an actual operation, when the CPU110 (see FIG. 39) of the personalcomputer 1 issues an ejection instruction for ejecting, for example, theremovable hard disk 3 on the left hand side, out of the two removablehard disks 3,3 that are attached to the disk unit 5, the gear 94 isrotated by 180 degrees, then further continue to rotate withoutstopping, and stops after a predetermined amount of rotation after theswitch 89 is turned on, thus completing a sequence of operations.

The ejection instruction for the removable hard disk 3 on the left handside by the CPU110 of the personal computer 1 is issued when the CPU110determines that the removable hard disk 3 on the left hand side is notbeing accessed. Therefore, while the removable hard disk 3 on the lefthand side is being accessed, the user is not able to automatically ejectthe removable hard disk 3 on the left hand side from the disk unit 5 bymanipulating the input device, such as the keyboard for the personalcomputer 1, or by pressing the switch 6 on the front side of the diskunit 5. Similarly, the user is not be able to automatically eject theremovable hard disk 3 on the right hand side, while it is beingaccessed.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the user cannot forcibly pullout the removable hard disk 3 from the disk unit 5 when the disk unit 5is attached to the personal computer 1, because the removable hard disk3, when attached to the disk unit 5, is positioned such that its outersurface lies inwardly of the outer surface of the front cover member 32of the disk unit 5. In the present embodiment, however, the disk unit 5is configured such that the removable hard disk 3, when attached to thedisk unit 5, can be manually ejected from the disk unit 5 when the diskunit 5 is removed from the personal computer 1. A mechanism forperforming this will be described next.

FIG. 36 is a side view of the ejection unit 72 of FIG. 27 with theremovable hard disk 3 manually removed from the disk unit 5, as viewedfrom a left side thereof. As shown in FIGS. 27 and 31, the lever 97normally moves as it comes into alternate contact with the projectingpart and the non-projecting part of the cam 94 a as the cam 94 arotates. When a force is applied to the lever 97 in a direction forcompressing the spring 108 while the lever 97 is moving from a positionshown in FIG. 28 to a position shown in FIG. 32, the lever 97 can bemoved in a direction indicated by an arrow H in FIG. 36. When a bentpart 97 b, which is formed integrally on the lever 97, is pushed in thedirection indicated by the arrow H from the position shown in FIG. 27into the position shown in FIG. 36, the removable hard disk 3 isejected.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 13, the ejection holes 35 and36 are formed in the cover member 30 and the cover member 31 of the diskunit 5 at positions corresponding to the bent part 97 b of the lever 97.Therefore, when the disk unit 5 is removed from the personal computer 1,then the removable hard disk 3 can be manually ejected from the diskunit 5 by pressing the bent part 97 b through the ejection holes 35 and36 in the direction for compressing the spring 108.

Further, when the disk unit 5 is thus removed from the personal computer1, the removable hard disk 3 is shut off from electric connection to thepersonal computer 1, and therefore the removable hard disk 3 can besafely ejected from the disk unit 5. Furthermore, even in the event thatthe removable hard disk 3 cannot be automatically ejected from the diskunit 5 due to some failure, the removable hard disk 3 can still bemanually ejected from the disk unit 5 by first removing the disk unit 5from the personal computer 1.

According to the present embodiment, as mentioned before, two removablehard disks 3 can be loaded into the disk unit 5. In the case where oneof the removable hard disks 3 fails, the user can find out which of theremovable hard disks 3 has failed by looking at the display device, suchas a CRT display, provided for the personal computer 1, which mayindicate, for example, a “C drive failure,” or a “D drive failure.”However, the user may not be able to easily determine which of the tworemovable hard disks 3 is the C drive, and which is the D drive, whenattempting to replace the failed removable hard disk 3. To address thisissue, the present embodiment provides a means for displaying which ofthe two removable hard disks 3 has failed, as described below, with onlya negligible additional cost.

Next, an operation that takes place when, for example, the removablehard disk 3 on the left hand side fails, will be described.

FIG. 37 is a side view of the ejection unit 72 of FIG. 27, as viewedfrom a left side thereof when the removable hard disk 3 on the left handside has failed. FIG. 38 shows a side view of the disk unit 5 of FIG.27, as viewed from a left side thereof when the removable disk drive 3on the left hand side has failed.

When the removable hard disk 3 on the left hand side fails, the CPU110(see FIG. 39) of the personal computer 1 detects the failure, and issuesa rotation instruction to the motor 80 to rotate the gear 94 by 45degrees in a direction indicated by an arrow J. The gear 94 is rotatedby 45 degrees with the rotation of the motor 80, into a position asshown in FIG. 37. In FIG. 37, a cylindrical projecting part 94 c isformed on a surface of the cam 94 a, which has a surface thereof formedwith saw-toothed indentations. FIG. 38 shows the disk unit 5 with theejection unit 72 being in the condition shown in FIG. 37, in which theprojecting part 94 c is seen through the failure indicator hole 37. Thatis, because the projecting part 94 c being seen through the failureindicator hole 37, the user knows that it is the removable hard disk 3on the left hand side that has failed.

Further, when the removable hard disk 3 on the left hand side fails, theCPU110 of the personal computer 1 issues an ejection instruction. Inother words, the ejection command is a command for rotating the motor 80until the removable hard disk 3 is ejected from the disk unit 5.Specifically, the CPU controls the motor 80 to further rotate by 135degrees in the direction indicated by the arrow J from the position intowhich the gear 94 has been rotated by 45 degrees, to bring the removablehard disk 3 into a position shown in FIG. 31. Thus, upon issuance of theejection command, the removable hard disk 3 is automatically ejectedfrom the ejection unit 72 in the disk unit 5.

While the failure indication for the removable hard disk 3 on the lefthand side has been described in the present embodiment, the samestructural means is provided for the failure indication for theremovable hard disk 3 on the right hand side. As shown in FIG. 9, forexample, an identical failure indicator hole 38 is also formed in theright side surface of the disk unit 5. As shown in FIG. 25, for example,an identical projecting part 94 c is also provided on the side of theejector unit 73. Therefore, the user can instantly determine which ofthe removable hard disks 3 has failed by looking at the failureindicator holes 37 and 38 on both sides of the disk unit 5. While thesurface of the projecting part 94 c has saw-toothed indentations in thepresent embodiment, the surface of the projecting part 94 c may becolored in a loud color or may have applied thereon a sticker with aloud color.

Next, the outlines of the electrical configuration of the personalcomputer 1 will be described by referring to FIG. 39 which is a blockdiagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of thepersonal computer 1 of FIG. 1.

The personal computer 1 includes the power supply 21, the battery 23,the motherboard 24, the connector unit 28, the disk unit 5, the inputdevice, not shown, that includes the keyboard and the mouse, and thedisplay device (not shown).

The motherboard 24 includes the CPU110 and a ROM111. The connector unit28 is comprised of the motor 59, the switch 61, and the sub substrate70. The disk unit 5 is comprised of the flexible printed circuit board74, the ejection unit 72 on the left hand side, which includes the motor80 and the switch 82 and is used for ejecting the removable hard disk 3on the left hand side, the ejection unit 73 on the right hand side,which includes the motor 81 and the switch 83 and is used for ejectingthe removable hard disk 3 on the right hand side, the switch 6 for theremovable hard disk on the left hand side, and the switch 6 for theremovable hard disk on the right hand side.

The power supply 21 supplies power to the motherboard 24 and the battery23. The battery 23 is a so-called uninterruptible power supply, that iscapable of temporarily supplying power to the motherboard 24 when thereis a power failure or when the power supply plug of the personalcomputer 1 is pulled out of a socket, while the personal computer 1 isin operation. By using the battery 23 of this type, even if there is apower failure while the personal computer 1 is in operation, thepersonal computer 1 does not stop operating until after a normal processhas been completed. Consequently, a power failure does not result in,for example, destruction or loss of data.

The CPU110 on the motherboard 24 operates as the brain of the personalcomputer 1 to make various determinations. Further, the CPU110 controlsthe ejection of the disk unit 5 from the connector unit 28 as well asthe ejection of the removable hard disks 3 from the disk unit 5 byissuing ejection commands. The CPU110 performs writing data to andreading data from the removable hard disks 3. Furthermore, in thepresent embodiment, an operating apparatus (OS) is stored in the ROM111on the motherboard 24 so that various processes can be performed evenwhen the removable hard disks 3 are removed from the disk unit 5.

The sub substrate 70 in the connector unit 28 receives power suppliedfrom the motherboard 24 and exchanges data with the motherboard 24.Further, the motor 59, as a driver for ejecting the disk unit 5 from thepersonal computer 1, and the switch 61 for controlling the rotation ofthe motor 59 are connected to the sub substrate 70.

The flexible printed circuit board 74 in the disk unit 5 receives powersupplied from the sub substrate 70 and exchanges data with the subsubstrate 70. The two removable hard disks 3, as removable electronicdevices, and the motor 80, the motor 81, the switch 82, and the switch83, which are for ejecting the removable hard disks 3, are connected tothe flexible printed circuit board 74. Further, the switches 6, 6 forinstructing the ejection of the two removable hard disks 3 are alsoconnected to the flexible printed circuit board 74.

With the above arrangement, the CPU110 of the personal computer 1 issuesa lock release command for releasing the lock between the disk unit 5and the connector unit 28, removal commands for removing the disk unit 5from the connector unit 28 and for removing the removable hard disk 3from the disk unit 5, controls the operation of the motor 59, whichdrives the locking mechanism and the ejection mechanism for the diskunit 5, as well as the motor 80 and the motor 81, which drive theejection units 72, 73, respectively, for the two removable hard disks 3,3, respectively, and writes and reads data to and from the removablehard disks 3.

As described above, the information processing apparatus of the presentembodiment is comprised of the internal connector unit 28 provided in apersonal computer 1, and the disk unit 5, which can be removablyattached to the connector unit 28 and is electrically connected to theconnector unit 28 when attached to the connector unit 28, the disk unit5 being configured such that the removable hard disks 3 can be removablyattached to the disk unit 5 and are electrically connected with the diskunit 5 when the removable hard disks 3 are attached to the disk unit 5.When the disk unit 5 is attached to the connector unit 28, and theremovable hard disks 3 are attached to the disk unit 5, the disk unit 5cannot be removed from the connector unit 28, and the removable harddisks 3 cannot be removed from the disk unit 5, while the removable harddisks 3 are in operation. As a result, it is possible to solve theproblem with the prior art that one or both of the removable hard disksare removed while the removable hard disks are in operation, which leadsto unfavorable results. Further, the information processing apparatusaccording to the present embodiment is simple in construction andflexible in function.

Furthermore, the removable hard disks 3 can be removed from the diskunit 5 when the disk unit 5 is removed from the connector unit 28, andhence the removable hard disks 3 can be safely exchanged.

Furthermore, the disk unit 5 remains hidden inside the personal computer1 when the disk unit 5 is attached to the connector unit 28. Besides,when the disk unit 5 is removed from the connector unit 28, the recesses33 and 34 become exposed externally on the disk unit 5, so that the usercan easily carry the disk unit 5 by hand when the disk unit 5 is removedfrom the connector unit 28, thus facilitating handling of the disk unit5.

Moreover, the locking mechanism (the locking claw 52 of the connectorunit 28 and the square hole 68 of the disk unit 5) locks together theconnector unit 28 and the disk unit 5 when the disk unit 5 is attachedto the connector unit 28, and releases the lock when an ejection commandfor releasing the lock is issued. As a result, the disk unit 5 cannot beinadvertently removed from the connector unit 28.

Still further, the ejection mechanism (the ejection lever 51 on theconnector unit 28), for ejecting the disk unit 5 from the connector unit28 when an ejection command is issued with the disk unit 5 attached tothe connector unit 28, can prevent the disk unit 5 from beinginadvertently removed from the connector unit 28 in a similar manner asthe locking mechanism described above.

Furthermore, the locking mechanism for locking the disk unit 5 with theconnector unit 28 and the ejection mechanism for ejecting the disk unit5 are driven by a single driver (the motor 59 of the connector unit 28).As a result, the locking mechanism and the ejection mechanism can berealized without increasing the number of component parts.

Further, the disk unit 5 can accommodate a plurality of removable harddisks 3, and thus the personal computer 1 is flexible in function.

Furthermore, out of the plurality of removable hard disks 3 that areattached to the disk unit 5, the removable hard disk 3 that is not inoperation can be removed, and hence the removable hard disk 3 can besafely exchanged.

Still further, the disk unit 5 includes the display means (the failureindicator holes 37, 38 and the projecting parts 94 c) for indicatingwhich of the removable hard disks 3 has failed, and the display meansretains the failure indication even when the disk unit 5 has beenremoved from the connector unit 28, when one of the plurality ofremovable hard disks 3 which are attached to the disk unit 5 fails. As aresult, the user can immediately determine which of the removable harddisks 3 has failed.

Still further, the second drivers (the motor 80 and the motor 81) fordriving the ejection units 72, 73, respectively, for ejecting therespective removable hard disks 3, are also provided for controlling thefailure display means described above. As a result, the failureindication for the removable hard disks 3 can be carried out withoutincreasing the number of component parts.

Further, the removable hard disks 3 are positioned with their outersurfaces thereof lying inwardly of the outer surface of the disk unit 5to which the removable hard disks 3 are attached. As a result, the usercannot forcibly pull out the removable hard disks 3 to impair the same.

While in the first embodiment described above, the failure of theremovable hard disk 3 is addressed by indicating the failure through thefailure indicator holes 37, 38 in the disk unit 5, the method ofaddressing the failure is not limited to such a method.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described next.

According to the present embodiment, when the CPU110 of the personalcomputer 1 detects a failure in either of the removable hard disks 3,then the CPU110 issues an ejection command for ejecting the failedremovable hard disk 3, so that the actually failed removable hard disk 3is ejected by the ejection mechanism.

More specifically, the disk unit 5 includes the ejection mechanisms (theejection units 72 and 73) for ejecting the removable hard disks 3corresponding to the respective ejection mechanisms from the disk unit5. When one of the plurality of removable hard disks 3 fails, theejection unit corresponding to the failed removable hard disk 3 ejectsthe failed removable hard disk 3 from the disk unit 5 upon issuance ofan ejection command. As a result, there is no need to manually removethe failed removable hard disk 3, thus improving the usability.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.While the disk unit 5 in the first embodiment has a structure forallowing two removable hard disks 3 to be attached thereto.

The number of removable hard disks 3 that can be attached is not limitedto two. Instead, the disk unit 5 can accommodate any number of removablehard disks 3. Further, the electronic device that can be attached to orremoved from the disk unit 5 is not limited to the removable hard diskand may include, for example, a CD-RW unit or a DVD unit or anycombination of such.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Inthe first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 37 and FIG. 38, when theremovable hard disk 3 fails, the cam 94 a corresponding to the failedremovable hard disk 3 is rotated by 45 degrees in the directionindicated by the arrow J, so that the failure of that particularremovable hard disk 3 is confirmed through the failure indicator hole 37in the disk unit 5. The present embodiment, on the other hand, providesa structure for enabling confirmation of the failure on the front sideof the disk unit 5.

FIGS. 40 and 41 schematically show the disk unit 5 as an electronicapparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 40 is a front view showing thedisk unit 5 as the electronic apparatus of the present embodiment, whileFIG. 41 is a perspective view showing the disk unit 5 of FIG. 40, asviewed from above to the left on the front side thereof. Further, FIGS.42 through 45 are diagrams showing the internal structure of the diskunit 5 of FIG. 40. FIG. 42 is a front view showing the internalstructure of the disk unit 5 of FIG. 40, while FIG. 43 is a side viewshowing the inside of the disk unit 5 of FIG. 42, as viewed from theleft side thereof. FIG. 44 is a perspective view showing the inside ofthe disk unit 5 of FIG. 43, as viewed from below to the left on thefront side thereof, while FIG. 45 is a perspective view showing theinside of the disk unit 5 of FIG. 43, as viewed from below to the righton the front side thereof.

Elements and parts in FIG. 40 through FIG. 45, that are similar to thoseof the first embodiment described before, are designated by identicalreference numerals.

As shown in FIGS. 40 and 41, the front cover member 32 of the disk unit5 has formed therein failure indicator holes 115 and 116, whichcorrespond to the two removable hard disks 3, respectively. In theillustrated example, the removable hard disk 3 on the left hand side hasfailed. As shown in FIG. 40, a circular projection 117 a is seen throughthe failure indicator hole 115 on the left hand side.

Next, the internal construction of the disk unit 5 will be described.Since the ejection units 72, 73 of the right and the left of the diskunit 5 are mostly symmetrical in shape, the following description refersmainly to the ejection unit 72 on the left hand side.

As shown in FIG. 42 through FIG. 45, a fulcrum shaft 122 is secured tothe base 85 of the ejection unit 72 on the left hand side. A lever 117is rotatably fitted on the fulcrum shaft 122, and the lever 117 has atip end thereof formed with a cylindrical projection 117 a.

Further fitted on the fulcrum shaft 122 a spring 120, which has an endthereof supported by s raised bent part 85 a of the base 85 and theother end thereof supported by the projection 117 b of the lever 117.Consequently, the lever 117 receives a force in a direction indicated byan arrow L. Furthermore, a base end of the lever 117 is disposed incontact with the cam 94 a. When the cam 94 a rotates as the motor 80rotates and the lever 117 gets out of contact with the cam surface ofthe cam 94 a, the rotation of the lever 117 is restricted by the innersurface of the cover member 30 (see FIG. 41). Further, the inner surfaceof the cover member 30 also restricts the lever 117 in a thrustdirection to the left.

The cam 94 a of the ejection unit 72 on the left hand side is seen tohave rotated by 45 degrees in the direction indicated by the arrow J,compared with the position of a cam 125 a of the ejection unit 73 on theright hand side. Further, the lever 117 of the ejection unit 72 on theleft hand side is seen to have rotated by 5 degrees in a directionindicated by an arrow M, compared with the position of a lever 118 ofthe ejection unit 73 on the right hand side, such that the projection117 a is in such a position that the projection 117 a is visible throughthe failure indicator hole 115. Therefore, as in the first embodiment,when one of the removable hard disks 3 fails, the CPU110 of the personalcomputer 1 detects the failure and causes the cam of the ejection unitcorresponding to the failed removable hard disk 3 to rotate by 45degrees so as to position the projection at the corresponding failureindicator hole to thereby indicate the failure.

While in the embodiments described above, a plurality (two in the aboveembodiments) of electronic devices of the same type (for example,removable hard disks) are removably attached to the disk unit 5 of thepersonal computer 1, the present invention is not limited to theseembodiments. The present invention may be also applied to a case where aplurality of electronic devices of different types such as CD-ROM and aTV tuner that are removably attached to the disk unit 5.

While in the embodiments described above, the information processingapparatus implemented by a personal computer, the present embodiment isnot limited to an information processing apparatus for a specificapplication and may be also applied information processing apparatusesfor various applications, such as a workstation.

1. An electronic apparatus comprising: a main body; a receiving unitthat is removably attached to said main body and receives at least oneremovable electronic device removably attached thereto; a locking devicethat locks together said receiving unit and said main body; and acontroller that controls said locking device to inhibit said receivingunit and said main body from being released from a state in which theyare locked together while the removable electronic device is inoperation.
 2. An electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprisingan electronic device removing device that removes the removableelectronic device from said receiving unit, and wherein said controllercontrols said electronic device removing device to inhibit the removableelectronic device from being removed from said receiving unit while theremovable electronic device is in operation.
 3. An electronic apparatusas claimed in claim 1, comprising a connector unit provided in said mainbody, and wherein said receiving unit is removably attached to saidconnector unit, said locking device locks together said receiving unitand said connector unit, and said controller controls said lockingdevice to inhibit said receiving unit from being removed from saidconnector unit together while the removable electronic device is inoperation.
 4. An electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3, whereinsaid receiving unit has formed therein at least one recess at such alocation that the recess is hidden inside said main body when saidreceiving unit is attached to said connector unit, and is exposedexternally when said receiving unit is removed from said connector unit.5. An electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said lockingdevice comprises a locking mechanism that locks together said connectorunit and said receiving unit when said receiving unit is attached tosaid connector unit, said locking mechanism being responsive to a lockrelease command from said controller, for releasing locking of saidconnector unit and said receiving unit.
 6. An electronic apparatus asclaimed in claim 3, comprising a unit removing device that is responsiveto a removal command from said controller, for removing said receivingunit from said connector unit, when said receiving unit is attached tosaid connector unit.
 7. An electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 6,wherein said controller controls said unit removing device to inhibitsaid receiving unit from being removed from said receiving unit whilethe removable electronic device is operation.
 8. An electronic apparatusas claimed in claim 7, comprising a single driver that drives saidlocking device and said unit removing device.
 9. An electronic apparatusas claimed in claim 3, wherein the removable electronic device isconfigured such that the removable electronic device can be removed fromsaid receiving unit when said receiving unit is removed from saidconnector unit.
 10. An electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3,wherein the removable electronic device comprises a plurality ofremovable electronic devices of a same type or of different types. 11.An electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 10, comprising a pluralityof electronic device removing devices that are provided in associationwith respective ones of the plurality of removable electronic devices,for removing the respective removable electronic devices from saidreceiving unit, and wherein said controller controls any of theremovable electronic device removing devices to enable a correspondingone of the removable electronic devices that is not in operation to beremoved from said receiving unit.
 12. An electronic apparatus as claimedin claim 10, comprising a display device that displays an indication asto which of the plurality of removable electronic devices attached tosaid receiving unit has failed in a case where any of the removableelectronic devices fails, and said display device continues displayingthe indication even after said receiving unit is removed from saidconnector unit.
 13. An electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 12,comprising a plurality of electronic device removing devices that areprovided in association with respective ones of the plurality ofremovable electronic devices, for removing the respective removableelectronic devices from said receiving unit, and wherein said controllerissues a removal command to any of the removable electronic deviceremoving device corresponding to any of the removable electronic devicesthat has failed, for removing the failed removable electronic devicefrom said receiving unit.
 14. An electronic apparatus as claimed inclaim 13, comprising a single driver that drives said removableelectronic device removing devices and said display device.
 15. Anelectronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said removableelectronic device is positioned such that outer surfaces thereof lieinwardly of an outer surface of said receiving unit on a side thereof atwhich the removable electronic devices are attached to said receivingunit.
 16. An information processing apparatus comprising an electronicapparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15.